Accommodation
Thailand off ers a wide variety
of accommodation from
cheap and basic to pricey
and luxurious. Accommoda-
tion rates listed in this book
are high-season prices. Icons
are included to indicate inter-
net access, wi-fi , swimming
pools or air-con availability. If
there isn’t an air-con icon, as-
sume that there’s only a fan.
A two-tiered pricing system
has been used in this book
to determine budget cat-
egory (budget, midrange, top
end). In big cities and beach
resorts, rates under 1000B
are budget, under 3000B are
midrange, with top end over
3000B. For small towns, rates
under 600B are budget, un-
der 1500B are midrange and
top end over 1500B.
In places where spoken
English might be limited, it is
handy to know the following:
hôrng pát lom (room with
fan) and hôrng aa (room with
air-con).Guest Houses
Guest houses are generally
the cheapest accommodation
in Thailand and can be found
all along the backpacker trail.
In areas like the northeast and
parts of the southeast, guest
houses (as well as tourists)
are not as widespread.
Rates vary according to
facilities and location. In
small towns between 150B to
200B are about the cheap-
est rates around and usually
have shared bathroom and a
rickety fan. Private facilities,
air-con and sometimes a TV
can be had for 600B to 800B.
But prices are much higher
in the beach resorts, where a
basic fan room starts at 700B
to 800B. Many guest houses
make their bread and butterfrom their on-site restau-
rants that serve the classic
backpacker fare (banana
pancakes and fruit shakes).
Although these restaurants
are convenient and a good
way to meet other travellers,
don’t measure Thai food
based on these dishes.
Most guest houses culti-
vate a travellers’ ambience
with friendly knowledgeable
staff and book exchanges.
But there are also plenty of
guest houses with grumpy,
disgruntled, clerks who let
customers know that they
dislike their jobs.
Increasingly, guest houses
can handle advance reserva-
tions, but due to inconsistent
cleanliness and quality it is
advisable to always look at a
room in person before com-
mitting. In tourist centres, if
your preferred place is full,
there are usually alternatives
nearby. Guest houses typically
only accept cash payments.Hotels
In provincial capitals and
small towns, the only options
are often older Thai-Chinese
hotels, once the standard in
all of Thailand. Most cater to
Thai guests and English is
usually limited.
These hotels are multi-
storey buildings and might
off er a range of rooms from
midrange options with private
bathrooms, air-con and TV to
cheaper ones with shared bath
facilities and a fan. In some of
the older hotels, the toilets are
squats and the ‘shower’ is a
klong jar (a large terracotta ba-
sin from which you scoop out
water for bathing). Although
the Thai-Chinese hotels have
got tonnes of accidental retro
charm, unless the establish-
ment has been recently refur-
bished, we’ve found that they
are too old and worn to repre-
sent good value compared to
the guest houses.
In recent years, there has
been a push to fi ll the budget
gap for ageing backpackers
or young affl uent travellers
who want the ambience of a
guest house with the com-
forts of a hotel. Now in majorBOOK ACCOMMODATION ONLINEFor more accommodation reviews and recommendations
by Lonely Planet authors, check out the online booking
service at http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thailand. You’ll fi nd the
true, insider lowdown on the best places to stay. Reviews
are thorough and independent. Best of all, you can book
online.